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Occasional Liturgy In The Henrician Reformation, Joshua C. Wiggins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

King Henry VIII (1487-1547) famously severed ties with Roman Catholicism and nationalized the church in England in order to secure an annulment from his wife. His decision instigated the Henrician Reformation (1527-1547), a subset of the English Reformation. The king assumed the title 'Supreme Head of the English Church' and vested himself with the power to reform his country's church. Occasional liturgies—the formal religious ceremonies surrounding birth, marriage, and death—were prime opportunities to publicly display new doctrines and procedures. Instead, these rituals changed surprisingly little and largely mirrored the pageantry performed by his parents.

Two conclusions are drawn from the …